"Alright, we'll go wander a bit. You two take your time chatting. If anything comes up, message us, okay?"
Monna gave Ellen a playful wink, then hummed a pop tune as she strolled off.
Ellen stood there with her mouth slightly open, momentarily stunned. She realized they'd misunderstood—but as she looked at the two already walking away, she shut her mouth without saying anything.
Turning to Zane, her expression hardened.
"What exactly are you trying to do?"
She didn't know who he was, or why he had approached the three of them—but she knew he wasn't just some harmless stranger.
Ellen was confident in her own strength, but her two friends were just ordinary girls. That was precisely why she'd gotten them out of there.
"That's something Miss Ellen will have to figure out on her own."
Zane still wore a faint smile as he looked at her unwelcoming gaze and added,
"It seemed you didn't enjoy the magic trick earlier, Miss Ellen."
"Then allow me to perform another, just for you."
"But... a show can't be entirely free, right?"
"Got any more candy?"
Ellen hesitated for a moment as she looked at his calm, relaxed expression. Eventually, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a lollipop.
Fine—better to avoid conflict if possible.
Let's see what he's up to.
Zane took the candy with a smile and said softly,
"Thank you."
He bent forward, the hem of his clothes fluttering. Suddenly, a small flame ignited, quickly spreading across his body.
Bathed in fire, his voice echoed:
"I look forward to our next meeting."
The flames flared up, then vanished just as suddenly. With no one else nearby, the spectacle went unnoticed.
Just as he'd said—this performance was for Ellen alone.
Staring at the empty spot where he had stood, Ellen raised an eyebrow.
Gone?
She sensed residual traces of ice-element energy lingering in the air.
No time to marvel at the magic—her confusion only deepened.
Why would he say he was looking forward to seeing her again?
She had no desire to see him ever again.
Looking back toward the area they'd come from, she saw it had already been cordoned off. Remembering the earlier scene—Zane approaching them—it now seemed clear he'd done so to evade the security officers.
If she looked into this operation, she might figure out what he was really up to...
Turning her gaze away, Ellen felt an irritated knot in her chest. What a mess of a day.
Getting dragged into something so ridiculous—it was anything but ideal.
With a sigh, she headed off in the direction her friends had gone.
...
"Ugh... what kind of lollipop is this? The flavor's so weird..."
On a rooftop, Zane sat cross-legged, letting the cool night breeze blow across him as he frowned at the candy in his hand.
Durian? No—there was a hint of lemon, maybe some green apple... but something else was in the mix. Something odd.
He couldn't quite place it. No idea what it was.
Whatever. It's the only one I've got—no point complaining.
He popped the lollipop back into his mouth. Honestly, if you got used to it, it wasn't too bad. The key word being if.
The disappearing trick he'd pulled just now was a simple illusion—reflections from crushed ice combined with cover from the night.
It worked well enough on the human eye, but against the Public Security Bureau's instruments?
Useless.
To deal with those, he'd need actual spatial movement capabilities.
Eventually... he'd get there.
His current perch was just outside the Bureau's cordoned-off zone, offering a wide view of most of the area below.
From here, he could see the Bureau had gone all-out—those officers were sweeping every inch like they were scrubbing the floor.
That only made Zane more suspicious.
Was all this really just because of the "Masked Fool"?
Very few people even knew about that identity. The first time he used it, he just had a brief conversation with Sarah. The second, he collected some Ether.
That alone drew this level of attention?
A smiling face with a hidden dagger flashed through his mind.
Must've been Sarah who spilled it.
The "Masked Fool" title wasn't worth this kind of mobilization—but if Sacrificial Ghosts were involved... that was different.
Watching silently from the rooftop, Zane knew these officers were wasting their time.
That escape using the high school girls had bought him the chance to think clearly and figure things out.
Just then, he heard footsteps behind him.
He didn't even need to turn to know who it was.
"Senior, you—"
He started to speak, then flinched.
"Ow... that hurts..."
Qingyi had grabbed him by the ear like she was disciplining her own student—which, to be fair, she was.
"You can still feel pain?!"
Zane looked sheepish. His enhanced body shouldn't be this sensitive—Qingyi hadn't even pinched that hard.
He was just playing along—letting her vent a little.
He didn't know how she'd tracked him down, but hey, one less thing for him to worry about.
As long as he got through this.
"I knew it. Those guys couldn't keep you locked down."
"And knowing your personality, you'd be close by watching. And if you're watching—of course you'd pick the high ground."
Qingyi let go of his ear. Her understanding of him had led her straight here. She glared at him.
"You're getting quite capable, huh? Now then—how about giving me a proper explanation?"
"My... red-notice... fugitive... disciple."
Her tone was sharp—she was here for answers.
"And me too, Zane."
Zhu Yuan approached from the other side, frowning at him. Her hand was still on her sidearm.
"About the Cretan Hollows—was what you told me true?"
"Have you been lying to me this whole time?"
Zane listened and immediately felt the pressure rise.
Qingyi's anger came from concern—as his mentor.
But Zhu Yuan? Hers was different.
As she stared at him, her eyes weren't just angry—there was hurt there, too.
She had trusted him. Meant well.
And if she'd been played—helped the wrong person—she had to make it right.
Even if he was her senior's disciple.
Zhu Yuan didn't know him as well as Qingyi did. They hadn't spoken since the day at the video store.
And as a hot-blooded officer with a strong sense of justice, she didn't overthink things like Qingyi.
Right now, her impression of Zane had plummeted.
If he didn't give her a proper explanation...
She would absolutely arrest him.
She'd just consider it a mistake in judgment.
But deep down... she was still hoping he wasn't the person she feared he might be.